Vancouver Rainy Day Activities

The Lower Mainland’s best things to do on rainy days include visiting Vancouver museums, restaurants, indoor attractions and entertainment venues.

Vancouver offers so many fun things to do indoors, which is good seeing as we get so much rain!

Below you’ll find information on the following topics. Continue reading for the full article, or click a link to jump to a particular list.

Seasonal Indoor Places | Dry Places for All Ages | Rainy Day Places for Kids | Adult Rainy Day Activities

Rainy Day Things to Do in Vancouver

So where should one go to escape the wet stuff? Below are a few suggestions, including special seasonal activities plus lists of dry places for people of all ages, for children specifically and for adults.

For a video of Vancouver’s best rainy day places, click Vancouver Rainy Day Activities Video. For a list of best rainy day places, see below.

Seasonal Indoor Places

Good indoor (or online) activities to do this time of year include the following:

Arts Club Theatre – a couple of plays are available to stream virtually through the Arts Club website.
Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival – an excuse to enjoy special hot chocolate offerings at restaurants around town. (January 16th, 2021, to February 14th, 2021)
Vancouver Canucks Hockey – watch the team play against the Montreal Canadiens at Rogers Arena from home or one of the sports bars around the Lower Mainland. (January 20th, 21st & 23rd, 2021)
Granville Island – the area’s Public Market as well as most of the restaurants, art studios and other unique places to shop are all open.
Staying at home and do some Indoor Activities by yourself or with other people you live with.
Going to one of Vancouver’s Top Restaurants now that they have reopened for dine-in service (or, better yet, order take out and eat dinner at home).

RAINY DAY COUPON DEALS!

The Vancouver Entertainment Coupon Book is full of valuable coupons that can be used at restaurants, attractions, retailers and other places of interest in both the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. Hundreds of the participating venues are indoor locations, so the book is a wonderful resource for days with less than ideal weather. Click Rainy Day Entertainment Book Coupons for details!

Dry Places for Folk of All Ages

Great indoor Vancouver places any time of the year are listed below. See even further below for places specifically for kids and other places specifically for adults.

Places within the City of Vancouver

BC Sports Hall of Fame – a museum full of sports memorabilia at BC Place Stadium.
Bill Reid Gallery – the Indigenous art gallery in downtown Vancouver.
Bloedel Conservatory – an indoor glass-domed tropical garden facility at the top of the hill at Queen Elizabeth Park.
FlyOver Canada – a film and flight simulation attraction at Canada Place.
Museum of Vancouver (MOV) – the best place to learn about Vancouver history indoors.
Pacific Centre Mall – a good place for indoor shopping in downtown Vancouver.
Roedde House Museum – a heritage building that offers guided tours of a home built in the 1890s in Vancouver’s West End.
Vancouver Aquarium – some of the attraction is still outside though, so don’t forget your umbrella.
Vancouver Maritime Museum – good if you like maritime history and want a dry place.

Places Elsewhere within Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland

Britannia Mine – a museum that’s 45 minutes from downtown Vancouver and formerly the largest copper mine in the British Empire. (Note: It’s mostly indoors, but some of it is outside and visitors have to walk outdoors between buildings, so if it’s raining hard you might still want an umbrella.)
North Shore Ski Hills – but only if they happen to be above the clouds (so check before you go).
- Grouse Mountain – in North Vancouver.
- Cypress Mountain – in West Vancouver.
- Mt. Seymour – in North Vancouver.
Metrotown – if you want to do some giant-shopping-mall shopping.
Museum of North Vancouver – a place to learn about the history of the North Shore (and opening in 2021).
Museum of Surrey – a museum at 17710 56a Avenue in Cloverdale.

Other Places with Various Locations

Vancouver Climbing Centres – facilities with climbing walls and bouldering opportunities exist throughout the Lower Mainland.
Professional Sports Games (including ones with the following local teams):
- Vancouver Canucks – NHL hockey at Rogers Arena from October until around April.
- Vancouver Giants – WHL junior hockey at the Langley Events Centre from September until around March.
- Vancouver Whitecaps – Major League Soccer at BC Place Stadium from March until October.
- BC Lions – CFL Canadian football from June until around November at BC Place Stadium.
- Vancouver Canadians – NWL baseball at Nat Bailey Stadium from June until September.
For more good places and things to do for people of all ages in Vancouver on a rainy day, check out Vancouver’s Best Places for Entertainment and Vancouver’s Best Restaurants.

Science World Statues with Umbrella — Science World on a Rainy Day

Rainy Day Places for Kids

Wondering what to do with children on a wet, miserable day? Below are some great kid-friendly rainy day places.

Apex Adventure Plex – a trampoline park in Richmond.
Castle Fun Park – home to the best indoor mini golf in the Fraser Valley (plus outdoor go karts, bumper cars, batting cages and more).
Chuck E. Cheese – a fun place to take young children in Langley.
Clip ‘n Climb Vancouver – a colourful indoor climbing facility with ladders, staircases, walls and all kinds of things to climb in Richmond.
Extreme Air Park – indoor trampoline centres in New Westminster, Richmond and Langley.
Funky Monkey Fun Park – laser tag, bumper cars, pirate ship ride and playground at 13853-104 Avenue in Surrey.
The Great Escape – an indoor family entertainment centre with mini golf, laser tag, toddler zone and more at 20645 Langley Bypass in Langley.
H.R. MacMillan Space Centre – home of Vancouver’s planetarium.
Kidtropolis – an indoor miniature village in Richmond that’s suitable for children ages 3 to about 8.
Science World – a great IMAX Theatre and lots of cool science stuff to see.
Watermania – one of the Lower Mainland’s best aquatic centres, and a best place for children in Richmond.
West Vancouver Aquatic Centre – another one of the best indoor aquatic centres in Metro Vancouver.
If you don’t mind the rain and want to take in other top attractions without the crowds, check out Vancouver’s Best Places for Children, for top things to do with kids in general.

Adult Rainy Day Activities

For great bars and restaurants, check out Vancouver’s best places to eat and drink. Just don’t worry about places with fancy views though – if the weather is bad you won’t be able to see much.

For music, theatre and other performances around town, check out Vancouver’s Best Places’ Shows and Entertainment Calendar.

Indoor places that are of interest to people of all ages, but in particular adults, include the following:

Beaty Biodiversity Museum – a museum with a biological collection at UBC.
Bill Reid Gallery – a Northwest Coast Indigenous art gallery in downtown Vancouver.
Vancouver Art Gallery – a great place for art and to escape the rain.
Museum of Anthropology – a very good anthropological museum at UBC.
Vancouver Theatresports – live improvisational theatre at the Improv Centre on Granville Island.

And if you’re feeling lucky, maybe check out one of Vancouver’s casinos. Just take a limited amount of money, no more than you’re willing to lose happily, and play for fun. As they say, ‘know your limit, play within it!’